Taking her ass apart

[badmotogoozer]

Hi all,

 

I've searched the "How to" and Forum for info on taking apart the rear of my 2001 Sport. Not much there so I'm guessing it might be easy...

 

Is it as easy as it looks or are there things I need to know before I take it all apart?

 

Need to remove drive shaft to grease the front U-joint (I can't find the damn zerk to save my life), grease up the swing arm (and shock eye!) and take out the front U-joint guard and mill it so I can grease the thing up nice and easy later.

 

cheers,

 

Rj

[Bill Hagan]

Can't believe I am actually replying to a "how to" post, but you get what you pay for.

 

Seriously, if I can do this, anyone can.

 

BION, I just looked up the owner's manual instructions on removing the rear wheel (as I was replacing a rear tire, anyway).

 

About the only tricky parts were being ready to grab that shim (or whatever it's called) before it fell out of the drive housing, and (this is even more important) ensuring I had the drive shaft strapped and secured so it didn't drop and do damage to itself ... and my wallet.

 

I even found all the grease points readily enough, tho all were full of clean grease (which surprised me).

 

Bill

[badmotogoozer]

Thanks Bill,

 

Got the rear wheel off - have done that several times! Taking the rest apart now. I've stuck my head and fingers everywhere I can, and can't find that front zerk anywhere. I found an old post by Steve G that his 2001 v11 had its front u-joint installed backwards. Since he and I both bought our bikes at nearly the same time from the same dealer, I figure mine might be too. I pretty much expect it knowing how poorly they put my bike together...

 

I need to take the SA off to grease it and the shock eye (nothing was greased from factory so far...) and while I'm at it I may as well find that front nipple and see if I can mill out an access port in the guard.

 

cheers,

 

Rj

[pete roper]

DON'T FORGET THAT IF YOU SEPARATE THE PARTS OF THE DRIVESHAFT, FRONT UJ,SHAFT AND SPRING AND REAR UJ IT IS VITAL THAT YOU RE-ASSEMBLE THE SHAFT WITH THE TRUNNIONS ALIGNED WITH EACH OTER OTHERWISE SERIOUS DAMAGE WILL ENSUE.

 

P

[Guest ratchethack]

Wot Pete said. The driveshaft comes from the factory with nice big white painted-on alignment marks to make it easy to correctly line up the trunnions. When it comes to re-installing the swingarm, if you trust wot Luigi did , you can use the factory-issue porkchop face-to-stub axle end measurements to get it back the way it was (loose and/or mis-aligned as it may've been). I tighten the stub axles until the torque starts to spike up rapidly, and then back off 1/4 turn, which I figure amounts to under 10-20 ft-lb of torque to set it up in tension, and IMHO the amount of torque here isn't too critical - but it WILL loosen up over time (mine has twice). If y'er like me, you don't take any installation or setting the factory did f'er granted, including alignment of the chassis. One procedure for a quick and easy way to get the swingarm aligned more accurately than Mandello did appears here:

 

Laser aligning the swingarm

 

http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?...78&hl=laser

 

NOTE: I'm always concerned about protecting fine-pitch machine threads in aluminum, and the stub axles in the pork chops are a prime example of a spot where you DO NOT want any problems. I spin a stainess steel shotgun bore brush through the threads and thoroughly clean 'em out with solvent, clean the stub axle threads nice & tidy, and re-install 'em with anti-seize to protect against dissimilar-metal galvanic corrosion.

[Steve G.]

Thanks Bill,

 

Got the rear wheel off - have done that several times! Taking the rest apart now. I've stuck my head and fingers everywhere I can, and can't find that front zerk anywhere. I found an old post by Steve G that his 2001 v11 had its front u-joint installed backwards. Since he and I both bought our bikes at nearly the same time from the same dealer, I figure mine might be too. I pretty much expect it knowing how poorly they put my bike together...

 

I need to take the SA off to grease it and the shock eye (nothing was greased from factory so far...) and while I'm at it I may as well find that front nipple and see if I can mill out an access port in the guard.

 

cheers,

 

Rj

Hi Ryan,

Yes, I've done this procedure a couple times now. For an old overweight sod like me, it's not easy, mainly because I havn't got a nice bike lift, so must get the hockey beaten knees down on the concrete. Other than that, it's straightforward.

I remember entering the post about my thoughts about my nipple being installed wrong. This was when I was of the frame of mind that I could grease the thing through the scatter guard, the shroud that covers the front. This can't be done and now I think it is correct for the nipple to face angled to the back of the bike.

I have concluded with my particular bike, and I think yours, that to reach that forward grease nipple, the wheel must come off. You must spin the drivshaft so the nipple is facing up. And finally, you will have to buy one of those mini grease guns from Lubrimatic, found at the local Lordco auto parts store. Now I also got the optional rubber extension, about 8", and the articulated head, the later I had to buy from a Home Hardware in Lynden Washington, because at the time, was not available in Canada. Without this articulated swivvel head, it will be tough. With it, it is a 30 second job.

Now, You may be able to access the nipple with the rear transaxle attached, but I don't feel comfortable having anyweight on the u-joints. Unbolt it, and slide the drive shaft apart. It will be easy to get to now.

When you slide the drive shaft back together, as Ratchethack mentioned, alignment of the white painted marks are critical for balance. I even went one step further, and got my little punch, offering two little point marks on the two ends for perfect alignment, as I found the paint marks a bit vauge, and worried about future paint removal. You may find it tricky to slide on and off, because of suction, and trapped air sliding back on.

Of course take this opportunity to clean and re-apply a bit of grease to the drive splines inside the hub. Also be aware that the spraying of excess grease is an unfortunate byproduct of this greasing procedure after you take the bike out.

Ciao, Steve G.

[pete roper]

It will be easy to get to now.

When you slide the drive shaft back together, as Ratchethack mentioned, alignment of the white painted marks are critical for balance.

 

Steve, the ballance is barely an issue. If the trunnions are not aligned as the suspension works as the shaft is spinning it winds up and down like a bloody great torsion spring exerting very large forces on the driveline components that can strip splines, damage pinions or even twist the end off the pinion of the bevelbox. this, I was told, is known as a 'Sinusoidally Varying Output', which is a cool sounding, techie-type name for winding up and down like a sodding great torsion spring!

 

Pete, (Taking time out!)

[Guest ratchethack]

Steve, the ballance is barely an issue. If the trunnions are not aligned as the suspension works as the shaft is spinning it winds up and down like a bloody great torsion spring exerting very large forces on the driveline components that can strip splines, damage pinions or even twist the end off the pinion of the bevelbox. this, I was told, is known as a 'Sinusoidally Varying Output', which is a cool sounding, techie-type name for winding up and down like a sodding great torsion spring!

 

Pete, (Taking time out!)

My understanding of this "sinusoidally varying output" has always been that one common u-joint imparts an uneven speeding up and slowing down of angular rotation (varying angular velocity) to the driven side of the joint within every rotation. When the trunnions are properly aligned, the exact reverse is true going in the other direction, as it were, at the u-joint at the other end of the shaft. Properly aligned, these varying rotational outputs exactly cancel each other out. In the case of the Guzzi, this means all's well by the time we get to the driven end of the second u-joint and the pinion and crownwheel gears. Now if alignment of the trunnions is not maintained in re-assembly, this varying output is not only no longer cancelled-out, but, depending on how many degrees out of alignment according to the angle defined by the number of splines it's out of true, the self-cancelling variations in rotational speed are now out of phase, so the varying output is complicated rather than cancelled. As Pete explained, this imparts horrendous reversing torsional stresses on the entire driveline - clutch hub splines, clutch, transmission, output shaft splines, u-joints, driveshaft splines, bevel gears, and hub splines (have I left anything out??). Much more sophisticated (and expensive) CV, or constant velocity joints, impart no varying output a-tall.

[Steve G.]

Ok, I understand now.

I shall continue to call it balance or 'harmonic balance' instead of 'sinusoudally varying output'.

Ciao, Steve G.

[luhbo]

Every BMW until the don't know what last models had only one single U-Joint in the drive train. They probably just didn't care about the sinusoidal downsides of this concept and the bikes are running happy 'till today.

 

Anyway, here one should align properly the two halves, of course. On mine are no white markings left, but the facory (whichever) was so friendly to engrave an arrow in each part. Could be that this marking is hidden under the white sign.

 

Hubert

[badmotogoozer]

Thanks for the responses!

 

Yup. It was as easy as it looked. Four bolts and it all came apart nicely. Easiest disassemble yet!

 

Found the grease nipple - I think you're right Steve - I see no way of lubing this without removing stuff...

 

Saw the white marks on the shaft - assumed what they were for, but noticed they did not line up... a tooth or two off perhaps. Not put back correct after warranty trans service?? Made my own marks anyway.

 

So next question - Do I reassemble so the white marks line up (ran like that the first half of its life) or line up the marks I made (ran like that for the second half)??

 

cheers,

 

Rj

[Paul Minnaert]

 

So next question - Do I reassemble so the white marks line up (ran like that the first half of its life) or line up the marks I made (ran like that for the second half)??

 

 

white marks is the way to go.

[luhbo]

Thanks for the responses!

 

Yup. It was as easy as it looked. Four bolts and it all came apart nicely. Easiest disassemble yet!

 

Found the grease nipple - I think you're right Steve - I see no way of lubing this without removing stuff...

 

Saw the white marks on the shaft - assumed what they were for, but noticed they did not line up... a tooth or two off perhaps. Not put back correct after warranty trans service?? Made my own marks anyway.

 

So next question - Do I reassemble so the white marks line up (ran like that the first half of its life) or line up the marks I made (ran like that for the second half)??

 

cheers,

 

Rj

 

 

The two forks at the center or connecting shaft must lay in the same plane. That's all you have to look for. You must be able to "bend" the shaft to a flat Z-like pattern, no 3D-object must occure, then you have done it right.

 

Isn't there any engraved marking on yours'

 

Hubert

[big J]

What he said.

 

Just make sure the u/j's are in the same plane exactly- flats parallel on front and rear joints.You should be able to see any misalignment easy enough.If the marks are misaligned,I'd make new ones.

[pete roper]

Every BMW until the don't know what last models had only one single U-Joint in the drive train. They probably just didn't care about the sinusoidal downsides of this concept and the bikes are running happy 'till today.

 

 

Hubert

 

Dunno about old beemers but the smallblocks also only use a single Hookes coupling rather than the double used in the Tontis or the twin UJ's on the Spineys. On them, (The smallblocks) the loadings were accomodated by a very much softer cush drive arrangement in the rear wheel hub/bevelbox. Next time you are near a smallblock stick it on it's centrestand and pop it in gear then rock the wheel back and forth. after the backlash between the dogs is taken up you'll feel that the driveline is really *spongey* that's because of the soft rubber used in the cush drive rubbers.

 

Pete